Harem Daily Life

Tao Yanyan felt that perhaps too much pressure should not be put on He Yucheng's education. Otherwise, if the child is suppressed for too long, what if he can't get over the psychological hurdle and his outlook on life and values ​​are distorted?

When He Linzhang came over that evening, she told him what was on her mind.

"Give him leave?" He Linzhang frowned. He had gone through the same thing when he was the crown prince. Back then, the late emperor had never given him leave, and the empress dowager was very strict.

Tao Yan said, “A person who is constantly under tension is like a tightly wound string that may break one day. It’s better to tighten it a little and then loosen it a little, so that he can catch his breath every few days. Hasn’t Your Majesty noticed that Yu Cheng rarely smiles? He was always smiling when he was a child, but now I rarely see him smile.”

He Linzhang wholeheartedly hoped to impart all his knowledge to He Yucheng, including political philosophy and the methods of a monarch. The strategies for governing a country, caring for the people, and managing subordinates were not things that could be understood overnight; they required time and gradual accumulation. He also heeded the Empress's words, after all, she was from the future and possessed far greater insight than he did.

"In the era when the Empress lived, were children allowed to rest every few days?" He Linzhang asked.

Tao Yanyan nodded: "Yes, usually there are five days of school followed by two days of rest. There are two holidays each academic year: a winter break of about twenty days and a summer break of forty to fifty days. There are also national holidays, ranging from three to seven days, which are all holidays."

He Linzhang became interested: "Why give so many holidays?"

Tao Yan smiled and explained to him, "Because people need rest and also need to use holidays to boost the economy. If people are always working or studying, their days are occupied, and they just go home to sleep at night, then who will go to the shops outside to spend money? So holidays allow people to free themselves from the stress of busy work, travel around, and spend the money they have earned. This can both relax them and bring about consumption."

He Linzhang's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. He looked at Tao Yanyan and said, "Does the Empress miss her previous life? In your description, your world was wonderful and had everything, but now... you are trapped in the palace."

Tao Yanyan was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, a smile slowly spread across her face: "But there is no emperor in that world! Nor is there supreme power or so much silver."

Tao Yanyan's eyes shone with light when she thought about how many gemstones, jade pendants, gold and silver jewelry she now possessed and how extravagant her life was.

He Linzhang's heart softened completely. Looking at Tao Yanyan, who was smiling at him, he said affectionately, "Yanyan loves me very much."

Tao Yanyan's lips twitched, then she broke into an even bigger smile, her eyes crinkling: "Yes, I love it very much." She nestled somewhat guiltily into He Linzhang's arms, thinking about the new warehouse that had opened today, which was already filled with several boxes of good stuff.

Feeling smug, she realized that her clothes had fallen off, revealing her bare shoulders.

"Your Majesty!" Tao Yanyan lifted her head from his embrace, looking pitiful, and said, "Can't we... have one less day? I want to take a day off today..."

A barrage of kisses rained down on him, and He Linzhang's breathing grew heavier: "The Empress loves me, and I love the Empress too. What's the point of taking a vacation? If you're tired, don't move. I'll do everything."

Tao Yanyan: “…”

To be fair, He Linzhang had figured out Tao Yanyan's weakness. Before long, Tao Yanyan was no match for him, and her whimpering only made He Linzhang feel more affection for her.

He Yucheng never expected that the next day after court, his father would speak to him privately, saying that from now on, he would be given a day off for every six days of school. He almost thought he was hallucinating!

"Your mother, mindful of your hard work studying, suggested to me that you have a holiday. The date was also set by your mother. You can arrange your own holiday. Remember to balance work and rest, okay?"

He Yucheng finally smiled broadly, his eyes disappearing into his teeth: "Yes, thank you, Father Emperor, thank you, Mother Empress!"

God knows how important this day off was to him; he could finally have a day to play with Yu Nuo and the others.

Tao Yanyan didn't get up until noon, and she looked as if all her energy had been drained, leaving her listless and dispirited.

Xianglan blushed as she did her hair and makeup, making sure it was done lightly so she could lie down on the couch sooner.

"Are Qingfeng and Mingyue coming to the palace today?" After getting married, the two senior palace maids found jobs in the imperial property sector and are now two of the top business leaders.

Xianglan nodded: "They will enter the palace after lunch."

Tao Yanyan replaced one of her jade hairpins with a gold hairpin, which glittered and sparkled in her hair.

"Then let's prepare a meal, and send someone to greet them at the palace gate."

Caiyun made wontons for Tao Yanyan and also prepared two refreshing side dishes. After eating, Tao Yanyan felt warm all over, and her complexion, which had been completely drained last night, finally recovered.

When Qingfeng and Mingyue entered the palace, they had both shed their youthful naiveté and appeared quite capable.

After bowing to the Empress, Mingyue spoke first: "Your Majesty, all the workshops have been operating at full capacity to produce New Year's gift boxes before the festival, and they are all stored in the warehouse. This is the inventory list."

Mingyue presented the list, noting every item and detail clearly, which greatly pleased Tao Yanyan.

"Well done. Go and inspect each shop more often. If there is a shortage of goods, hire more workers to work overtime. It's nothing to spend some overtime pay; you can make it back."

Qingfeng presented another document: "This is the performance evaluation. The sales volume of each shop is linked to the performance evaluation. Bonuses have been paid to those who were due, and those who did not meet the evaluation targets have had them deducted. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Tao Yanyan took a look and saw that most of the shops were giving out bonuses and few were being penalized, which meant that apart from a few, the other shops were doing quite well.

She nodded: "Go and visit those who didn't meet the assessment requirements, and see what the reasons are."

Qingfeng nodded: "I've been there. Some shops are in such bad locations that hardly anyone passes by, and even fewer actually enter. But our gold shop is on the busiest street in the city center. In the past, it was always packed with customers before the holidays, and we had to stock up very quickly. But lately, it seems like all the customers in the city have disappeared. Apart from our old customers, there are almost no new customers. On the contrary, Ruyi Gold Shop in the city is doing very well. I went to see their jewelry, and the quality of it wasn't even as good as our lowest grade. But they're selling very well, and the prices don't seem cheap to me."

Tao Yanyan's eyes darkened: "This Ruyi Gold Shop... has some problems. You can go back and continue to manage the performance. Improve the morale of the shop assistants and tell the managers not to be discouraged. Just do what you're supposed to do."